Density Current

• Water at various levels of a reservoir often contains radically different concentrations of suspended sediment particularly during and after flood flows and if all waste-water could be withdrawn at those levels where the concentration is highest, a significant amount of sediment might be removed from the reservoir.

• Because a submerged outlet draws water towards it from all directions, the vertical dimension of the opening should be small with respect to the thickness of the layer and the rate of withdrawal also should be low. With a view to passing the density current by sluices that might be existed, it is necessary to trace the movement of density currents and observation stations (consisting of permanently anchored rafts from which measurements could be made of temperature and conductivity gradient from the surface of the lake to the bottom, besides collecting water samples at various depths) at least one just above the dam and two or more additional stations in the upstream (one in the inlet and one in the middle) should be located.

Waste-Water Release

• Controlling the sedimentation by controlling waste-water release is obviously possible only when water can be or should be wasted. This method is applicable only when a reservoir is of such size that a small part of large flood flows will fill it.

• In the design of the dam, sediment may be passed through or over it as an effective method of silt control by placing a series of outlets at various elevations. The percentage of total sediment load that might be ejected from the reservoir through proper gate control will differ greatly with different locations. It is probable that as much as 20 percent of the sediment inflow could be passed through many reservoirs by venting through outlets designed and con- trolled.

Scouring Sluicing

This method is somewhat similar to both the control of waste-water release and the draining and flushing methods.The distinction amongst them care the following:

• The waste-water release method ejects sediment laden flood flows through deep spillway gates or large under sluices at the rate of discharge that prevents sedimentation.

• Drainage and flushing method involves the slow release of stored water from the reservoir through small gates or valves making use of normal or low flow to entrain and carry the sediment, and

• Scouring sluicing depends for its efficiency on either the scouring action  exerted by the sudden rush of impounded water under a high head through under sluices or on the scouring action of high flood discharge coming into the reservoir.

Scouring sluicing method can be used in the following:

• Small power dams that depend to a great extent on pondage but not on storage;

• Small irrigation reservoirs, where only a small fraction of the total annual flow can be stored;

• Any reservoir in narrow channels, gorges, etc, where water wastage can be afforded;
  and

• When the particular reservoir under treatment is a unit in an interconnected system so that the other reservoirs can supply the water needed